Moving from Valencia to Madrid: cost per km and planning
Moving from Valencia to Madrid costs about €690 for the drive, plus loading and unloading. You can check the maths yourself: it is roughly 355 km on the A-3, charged one way only at €1.95/km, VAT included (355 × 1.95 ≈ €692), and the movers are paid separately at €20/h per person, at both ends. On that basis a studio comes to approximately €770, a two-bedroom flat to about €930 and a three-bedroom flat to about €1,170. The carrier confirms the final price before any work starts.
MoveValencia helps you work out the cost and matches you with an authorised carrier from our network for removals across Spain — a direct, door-to-door run with no transfers through depots. What to prepare at each end is covered on the Valencia to Madrid moving page (and, if you are coming the other way, on Madrid to Valencia). Below you will find the formula explained, a table by home size, how Barcelona, Alicante and Málaga are priced the same way, and a step-by-step plan so moving day holds no surprises.
How the price is worked out: the per-kilometre formula
Within Valencia, moves are charged by the hour: a van with driver at €50/h and movers at €20/h. On a long route that logic stops making sense, because most of the time is spent driving. So transport is charged by the kilometre:
Price = one-way road km × €1.95 + loading and unloading hours × number of movers × €20
Three things worth knowing:
- Only the one-way distance is charged. The vehicle’s return trip is not billed separately: €1.95/km (VAT already included) is multiplied by the kilometres from the loading address to the unloading address.
- It is road distance, not as the crow flies. From central Valencia to central Madrid on the A-3 is about 355 km; depending on your neighbourhoods at each end, the real figure can be anywhere between 345 and 365 km. The more precise your addresses, the more precise the quote.
- Stairs carry no surcharge. A fourth floor with no lift in Chamberí does not cost a per-floor supplement; it costs extra mover time, which is paid at €20/h per person.
Worked example: Valencia to Madrid by home size
These figures assume 355 km (355 km × €1.95 ≈ €692 for the drive), boxes already packed, and a lift or ground floor at one of the two buildings at least. On a long-distance move it usually pays to have one more mover than you would locally: fast loading means an early start and unloading the same day.
| Home | Movers | Loading + unloading | Labour | Drive | Approximate total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / single room | 1 | 2 h + 2 h | €80 | €692 | ≈ €772 |
| Two-bedroom flat | 2 | 3 h + 3 h | €240 | €692 | ≈ €932 |
| Three-bedroom flat | 3 | 4 h + 4 h | €480 | €692 | ≈ €1,172 |
Labour is movers × total hours × €20. For the studio that is 1 × 4 × 20 = €80; for the three-bedroom flat, 3 × 8 × 20 = €480. If the contents of a large flat will not fit in one vehicle, the carrier will say so in the quote, because a second vehicle changes the kilometre sum.
What moves this table most is not the distance, which is fixed, but the loading hours. Having everything boxed and labelled before the team arrives is the difference between a three-hour load and a five-hour one; our guide on how many moving boxes you need and how to pack has a seven-day plan.
Barcelona, Alicante, Málaga: same formula
The formula does not change with the destination; only the kilometres do. The distances below are approximate, centre to centre. Your exact figure comes from putting your two addresses into any map.
| Route from Valencia | Approx. road km | Drive (km × €1.95) |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid (A-3) | 355 km | ≈ €692 |
| Barcelona | 350 km | ≈ €683 |
| Alicante | 170 km | ≈ €332 |
| Málaga | 630 km | ≈ €1,229 |
Add the movers’ loading and unloading to each figure, just as in the Madrid example. Trips within the province do not use this formula: they are charged by the hour, as explained in how much a move in Valencia costs.
How to organise your move to Madrid, step by step
- Ask for a quote three to four weeks ahead. Send both exact addresses, the floor, whether each building has a lift, and photos of the rooms on WhatsApp or through the form on the website. With that, the carrier can give you a firm figure and book the date.
- Decide what is not coming. Every piece of furniture you will not use in Madrid is loading and unloading time you pay for twice. If there is a lot to get rid of, a house clearance before you leave is usually cheaper than driving it 355 km.
- Check the loading space at both buildings. On many streets in Valencia and Madrid, occupying the road during a move requires permission from the town hall (ayuntamiento). Check each council’s online portal (sede electrónica) or ask the carrier how they handle it at your address.
- Label boxes by destination room. Write “bedroom 2” or “kitchen”, not “Anna’s stuff”. The movers in Madrid do not know your new flat; the label tells them where each box goes without a hundred questions.
- Set aside what travels with you. Documents, keys, laptop, jewellery, medication and a first-night box (bedding, towels, chargers, a few kitchen basics) go in your car or suitcase, not in the van.
- Be there for loading and unloading. Make sure nothing is left in the storage room (trastero) or on the terrace, and in Madrid count the items before the team leaves. If anything arrives damaged, note it on the spot.
- Sort out the paperwork in Madrid. After the move, register on the local census (empadronamiento) in your new municipality and update your address wherever it is on file: bank, Social Security, DGT. Each town hall publishes its exact requirements on its website.
Same day or unloading the next morning?
The A-3 is about 3.5–4 hours’ driving in a van. With a studio or a two-bedroom flat, the usual plan is to load first thing and unload the same afternoon. With a three-bedroom flat, or if access at the Valencia end slows the loading, unloading may move to the following morning. Ask when you request your quote: better to know in advance than to find out at 8 pm on the M-30.
If the dates do not line up — say you hand back the keys in Valencia before you get the ones in Madrid — you do not need to rent a second flat; storing your furniture for a few weeks is enough. When that makes sense and what to ask is covered in our guide to storage units in Valencia when moving.
What if you hire a van and do it yourself?
You can, but do the full sum: several days’ hire (the van has to go back to Valencia), fuel for 700+ km, your time behind the wheel, and loading and unloading with friends at both ends. For a studio with few belongings it can pay off; for a whole flat with a sofa, wardrobes and a washing machine, it rarely does. Both options are compared in van hire in Valencia, with or without a driver.
If you would rather not drive 710 km, message us on WhatsApp or through the form with both addresses and a few photos. We will help you work out the cost and match you with an authorised carrier who confirms the price before the move starts.
